


Open Doors and New Beginnings

by greendalecoolcat



Category: Community (TV)
Genre: Angst, F/M, Fluff and Angst
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-06-01
Updated: 2016-06-01
Packaged: 2018-07-11 13:03:43
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,050
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7052941
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/greendalecoolcat/pseuds/greendalecoolcat
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>An alternate version of the finale.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Open Doors and New Beginnings

They were standing outside the door of Apartment 303, staring at each other while an unsettling silence filled the air between them. Jeff stood there with his hands shoved in his jacket pockets, biting his lip. Annie was facing him, mirroring his position, her hands nervously fidgeting in her pockets. When he met her gaze for a quick moment, she shot him a half-hearted tight-lipped smile. But soon the awkward silence became unbearable.

“I should probably…” She gestured to the closed apartment door behind her, deliberately not making eye contact.

“Uh, yeah.” He ran his hand over his neck as he looked at the floor. Another long pause had fallen between them, like they were both waiting for something to happen. When it didn’t, Annie reached for her keys. Jeff took a deep breath and finally looked at her, “Annie?”

“Yeah?” Her reply was instant. She met his eyes and her movements stopped. Her hand was still gripping the apartment key that was securely in the locked door.

He looked at her eyes, blue pools of uncertainty and wistfulness. He used to look into her eyes and see determination and conviction, like everything she wanted to achieve was right there in front of her, waiting to be captivated by the great Annie Edison. But in that moment, he looked at her and saw an expression that he didn’t think she could ever wear.

Even in her most vulnerable moments, she always held herself high, despite the many times she was knocked down. When he kissed her at the Tranny Dance, when he denied the Annie-of-it-All, and that moment in Borchert’s Lab when he was making one of the stupidest decisions of his life. Annie always knew who she was and how to handle herself, she knew how to tackle any obstacle forthcoming. But as he looked at her outside her apartment, he saw someone who looked just as lost as he was.

“I really hope you get it,” he said while managing a small smile.

She let out a breath that she was obviously holding. “Thanks, Jeff,” she smiled and resumed unlocking the door. Once it was opened, she turned to look at him once more, “I’ll see you around.”

He nodded, “Yeah.”

And with that, she walked through the door and closed it. Even during the action of closing the door was filled with uncertainty. But nonetheless, Jeff was left out in the hall staring at a closed door.

It seemed like a lot of doors were closing for him these days.

 

* * * * *

 

_“Annie?” Jeff spotted her as she walked over to them at the bar. She was wearing a tailored pantsuit and a crisp white blouse, different from her usual vibrant colors and floral patterns. She looked as if she were walking into a dream with wide eyes. She took every step as if she was holding a breath._

“Hey,” she took a steady seat next to Frankie at the two round tables they all pushed together. She wasn’t making eye contact with anyone until Britta spoke up over the chatter between Chang and the Dean.

“How did the interview go?” Britta asked as she took a sip of her _Too-Cool-to-Care-tini_ as Jeff liked to call it. In that moment all eyes landed on Annie as they waited for her response. But before she could even open her mouth, Jeff sat up in his chair and spoke.

“You had a job interview?” He looked at her curiously. The question was full of ease and encouragement, of course he wanted his friend-who-was-definitely-more-than-a-friend to get a job. She deserved to put her degree and ever growing credits to good use.

When she looked at him, a furrow in her brow formed as she was looking for the right words to make her announcement. She had only told Britta of the interview because she didn’t want to make a fuss over something so out of reach. After a pause she swallowed, “It was actually for an internship. In D.C. For the FBI.” Annie knew everyone else was also awaiting the answer to Jeff’s question, but truthfully, in that moment she was only talking to him.

She didn’t plan on mentioning it. She was going to wait for the rejection letter in the mail and then forget about the painfully anxious five-minute interview in Denver. Why would she need to tell him if nothing was going to come of it? But then Britta asked in front of everyone, but it wasn’t her fault. Annie hadn’t asked her to keep it a secret, because really she was going out on a whim.

Everyone else cheered and gave her their best wishes, telling her that she killed the interview, that the FBI better make room for their new agent, and assuring her that she was sure to get the internship. As much as she appreciated her friend’s kind words, she only wanted to focus on Jeff. To see his reaction. To see if he too, truly believed she would get the internship. To see if he actually cared she might be moving across the country.

“Jeff, you haven’t said anything,” Abed said as he cocked his head to the side from the chair beside him.

Still looking at Annie, he gulped. “Uh, yeah. It’s big news, I was taken aback. The FBI? I had no idea.” And with that, he fell back in his chair and studied the glass of scotch that made its way back into his left hand.

Annie watched him from across the table. She wasn’t confused at his reaction, but maybe a bit disappointed. Why should she be, though? Did she expect him to demand why she hadn’t told him? Did she want him to have a toast prepared? Did she want him to recite a detailed list of reasons why she shouldn’t go? A list of why Greendale is _still_ where she belongs?

Before long, the conversations continued to buzz around the table. The Dean was rambling about all of his ideas on how to “improve Greendale” for the upcoming Fall semester. Frankie was refuting every single one of those ideas. Britta was ranting about the injustices of medical feline care compared to that of dogs. Chang was being Chang, spewing nonsense into every conversation that was taking place. Jeff was still quiet, aloofly reading the numerous license plates on the wall of the bar. Annie was half-heartedly listening to Britta. But all conversations ceased when Abed made his announcement. He was moving to LA. He got a job on a TV show and pretty soon he would be a famous movie director and show runner accepting Oscars and Emmys and everything in between. Another round of congratulations and best wishes were shared.

Once again, Jeff seemed to be taken aback by the news, but he clapped a hand on his friend’s shoulder and said “we’ve had our six seasons, time to make a movie, buddy.” The words made Annie smile sadly. It’s true, they spent their six seasons together but in that moment she realized for the first time that their movie might be might not be together.

_She continued to watch Jeff from across the table, following his gaze to a group of people leaving the bar. He watched every single one of them walk outside, only breaking his gaze when the door closed shut._

 

* * * * *

 

Jeff turned away from the door and headed down the hallway. He should have said more, he should have been happier for her, but he couldn’t bring himself to feel anything but loss. She deserved a hug, a toast, a genuine response other than ‘I hope you get it.’ In one night he found out his best friend was moving on to better things, and that the woman he fell for years ago would be possibly leaving too.

He doesn’t get to be upset because he never did anything about it. He let her go one too many times and now he’d have to deal with the consequences. And dealing with said consequences started with drinking scotch alone in his apartment until he fell asleep. He wondered what Annie would be doing for the rest of the night. Probably planning the next ten years of her life away from Greendale. Away from him.

He made it to the staircase at the end of the hall when he stopped to think of his own life in ten years. He imagined himself still at Greendale, still in his shitty one-bedroom apartment, still grading countless papers from students who had as little interest of being in school as she did. He imagined himself at the study table, with Britta and Chang and Frankie and the empty seats left by members of his misfit family. The table that once felt so powerful and satisfying began to feel empty and depressing.

At the top of the staircase, he thought once more about his life without his friends, without Annie. And he came to the conclusion that it was unacceptable. He spent so much of his life without her, so much of his time pushing her away, pushing away his true feelings. What was the point? The stupid, agonizing, unrelenting, unavoidable truth was that there was no point. He’d done it for so long. He wasn’t going to let it happen again. Annie Edison doesn’t close doors, she opens them.

With that final thought, he turned around sharply and headed back down the hall towards her apartment. He was breathing heavily, as if he just ran up eight flights of stairs. He needed to do this, he needed her to finally know. She deserved to know. He paused briefly before pounding on the door. He wondered if the sound and urgency would scare her, but screw it. It didn’t matter.

Within seconds, he could hear the locks twisting and jingling as she quickly opened the door. She looked at him with confusion and worry, taking in his defeated and disheveled appearance, even though they only parted minutes earlier.

She shook her head, “Jeff, what are‒”

She was cut off by his lips crashing against hers, his hands reaching around her waist to hold her tightly against him. His right arm made its way around her back while his left hand wove its way into her hair. She was anchored to him as he claimed her mouth. Her lips responded with as much urgency, and her hands quickly made their way up his arms, griping the fabric of his jacket.

They continued to kiss until they needed to breathe. Jeff pulled away and pressed his forehead against hers, breathing deeply with his eyes closed. Annie too used the moment to allow more oxygen into her lungs, but she was looking at him. Waiting for him to say something.

“Jeff?” She whispered.

He opened his eyes and looked at her, and leaned in to kiss her one more time, “I couldn’t hold back anymore.”

“I never wanted you to.”

And with that, his lips found hers again and he held her even closer, if it were even possible.

 

* * * * *

 

 _“What do you say we have a nightcap at my place before we all turn it? I have some Dean-licious watermelon margarita mix that I’ve been dying to use!”_ The Dean’s voice was loud and exuberant even at eleven-thirty at night. “C’mon, it’ll be fun, we’re celebrating!” He then pointed to everyone around the table, “Nightcap? Nightcap? Nightcap?”

Britta, who was delightedly buzzed from her beer and two vodkas, accepted the offer to continue their end-of-year celebration. Abed agreed, noting that he only had a limited amount of time to partake in these classic Greendale experiences. Chang also accepted the offer, he had nowhere else to be. Of course, Frankie declined but promised to attend the next outing.

The Dean looked at Jeff pointedly, “Nightcap, Jeffrey? I have jello-shots!”

Jeff offered a tight-lipped smile, “As appealing as that sounds, I’m actually pretty tired, so I think I’m just going to turn in.” After a chorus of boos and crumpled up napkins thrown in his direction, they all turned to Annie.

“Annie? What about you?” Britta asked.

Annie quickly looked at Jeff before she declined, “You know, I’m actually really exhausted. From the interview and everything, so I think I’m going to head home too.” Although the others were clearly disappointed, they refrained from throwing more napkins.

“I’m going to get an Uber for us,” the Dean whipped out his phone and began tapping away. “I hope our driver is Marco, he has great leather seats and an even better face.” Britta started chanting for Marco and Frankie made the decision to leave before she could watch the rest of night unfold.

While the chatter continued around them, Jeff leaned in closer to Annie so she could hear him over the noise. “Hey, do you want a ride home?” He had his jacket draped over his arm and his keys clutched in his hand, clearly wanting nothing more than to escape their tipsy and energetic friends.

Annie looked at him and was grateful that he asked, because then maybe they could talk a bit. She wanted to tell him why she didn’t mention the internship, why she didn’t think it was worth the conversation. After he heard the news, he seemed to shut down, and the last thing she ever wanted to do was hurt him. “Yeah, a ride would be great,” she smiled at him, gathering her jacket and wallet.

They said their goodbyes and made their way out to Jeff’s Lexus that was parked along the sidewalk. It was still May, so the air was cool in the moonlight. She waited for him to unlock the car before she lowered herself into the passenger seat. It had been a while since she was in his car, but once she was inside, it was everything she remembered. It smelled like Jeff, like crisp laundry detergent and musky hair gel, mixed with leather seats and the pine-scented air freshener clipped to the vent.

He smiled at her when he sat down and started the engine. She watched him as he carefully pulled out of his parking spot and began driving onto the main road. All of his movements were calm and at ease, almost as if he was _trying_ to stay cool and collected. It was quiet in the car, so she was startled when he decided to speak.

“I’m not sure how much more of those goofballs I could take,” he shook his head but he was smiling. “As soon as the Dean started humming ‘Kiss from a Rose’ I knew I had to get out of there.”

“I know what you mean, Britta and Chang started drunkenly arguing about ethical forms of marijuana use. Neither of them were making sense, but I’m pretty sure Chang forgot what they were arguing about twenty minutes into the conversation,” Annie was shaking her head as she watched the streetlights pass out the window, but her comment got a genuine laugh out of Jeff. She looked over at him, proud that she was able to lift his spirits in some capacity.

“Yeah, Frankie had the right idea. No amount of jello-shots or watermelon margaritas is enough to withstand that conversation,” he replied.

“Poor Abed. He’s on his own,” she pouted when she thought about him dealing with their drunk friends.

“Oh trust me,” Jeff looked at her and then back at the road, “he loves it. He’s cashing in on all of these things for when he writes his movie.”

Annie giggled, “Yeah, you’re probably right.” But then her smile turned into a frown, “It’ll be really different around here without him.”

“It will,” Jeff agreed and then cleared his throat, “It’ll be different without _you_ here.” He gripped the steering wheel tighter, but kept his eyes on the road.

That was the moment, they had to talk about it. “Look, Jeff…I’m not…I didn’t,” she wasn’t even sure how to begin.

He glanced over at her, “Why didn’t you tell me?” She could hear the hurt in his voice.

She sighed, “I didn’t say anything because I didn’t think it was a big deal. There were so many applicants, it didn’t make sense to make a fuss over it. I only told Britta because she found my application.” She was fiddling with her hands in her lap as she spoke.

They pulled up to her apartment building and sat in the dark, only a street lamp illuminating the inside of the car. “Annie, whether you get it or not, it’s a big deal. It’s a really great opportunity. I just wish, I don’t know, that you told me about it. I would have helped you prepare or something, or give you an inspiring Winger speech. Not that you needed it,” he smirked and playfully elbowed her arm.

She looked at him and smiled at his sentiment. She understood where he was coming from. They had gotten a lot closer recently, almost like things were going back to the way they were before they graduated. Before they all left to go back to their unsuccessful lives. After he took her to a bar on the night of Chang’s play, something shifted between them. It felt like the spark between them relit. It felt like she was coming home. “Thanks, Jeff. I promise to keep you in the loop.”

“That’s all I ask. Hey, uh, why don’t I walk you up? It’s pretty late,” he gestured toward the building with his head.

“Yeah, that would be nice. Thanks.” Normally she would roll her eyes at his protectiveness, but truthfully, she wanted him to walk her up. She wanted to spend more time with him. Because she only had‒

_She was taken from her thoughts when Jeff made some comment about the brick that propped open the building’s front door._

 

* * * * *

 

They were still kissing, frantically and deeply and passionately. It was like they were making up for the lost time. The time that was spent away from one another, the time that was taken from them during a series of depressing events and bad decisions. They made their way into the apartment and Jeff managed to kick the door closed in the process.

She was tugging at his jacket, forcing him to follow her as she walked backwards to her bedroom. He easily complied, not wanting anything other than to be with Annie. They made it into her room in one piece, only stopping when they reached the foot of her bed.

She frantically pulled his jacket off, throwing it on the ground. Normally he would protest such an action on this three-hundred-dollar item, but the only thing that mattered in the moment was Annie. And her lips. And that he needed to feel them against his and that he needed to taste her on his tongue and that he needed feel her body against him.

Her hands made their way under his sweater, where she felt his hard plains of muscle and warm skin that heated her with a single touch, but only for a moment because she decided to move to her own shirt, where she frantically worked the buttons. With such hurried movements, the kissing became less rhythmic, but remained consistent.

“Annie…Annie!” Jeff whispered between kisses. “We don’t…We don’t have to do this now. We‒”

“Don’t hold back, remember?” She said with full assuredness and hopefulness, before she went back to kissing him. He wouldn’t.

He helped her with the rest of her buttons, pushing the blouse over her shoulders until she slipped her arms out, allowing the fabric to fall to the floor. The next item removed were her pants, which were unbuttoned and kicked off within seconds. And then he took a moment to look at her. She was wearing nothing but lavender lace panties, a matching bra, and his hands that gripped her hips.

When she felt the moment becoming too intense, she leaned up on her toes and kissed him breathless. She lowered herself to the mattress and pulled him along until he was looming over her. Still in his clothes, he kicked off his boots and pulled his purple sweater over his head. It landed in the same direction of his jacket, into a pile of nothingness where nothing mattered because everything important was happening in front of him.

She reached to unbutton his jeans and helped him push them down to his ankles where he kicked them to the floor. Soon they were a tangle of limbs, only in their underwear, kissing every inch of skin in reach. Jeff worked his way down her neck until he reached the valley of her breasts and her bra.

“You can take it off,” she whispered.

So he did, delicately as if he didn’t want to break her. She wrapped her arms around his neck and lifted herself slightly off the bed to give him access to the clasp. He had to pause and relish the feeling of her pressed against him, all skin and heat. Nothing had ever felt as good. When he collected himself, he unhooked the clasp and slowly peeled off the straps and the fabric that cupped her breasts. He took in her beauty and she giggled at his awestruck expression. Pulling him back down to her mouth, her hands danced all over his back, to the nape of his neck, into his hair.

“You’re beautiful,” he whispered between kisses.

“Shhhh,” she appreciated his words but she just wanted him inside her. She wanted to feel what she’d been missing all these years. She pushed down her panties and started on Jeff’s so he would get the hint.

Once there was nothing between them, she reached for the drawer in her bedside table and retrieved a condom. The next few moments consisted of quick movements and heavy breathing as he rolled the condom on, setting himself back over her. He wordlessly asked her the question and she nodded assuredly.

It was everything she thought it would be, and everything she never expected. It was emotional and intimate and intoxicating. It was satisfying and wonderful and it just made sense. As he moved inside her, he looked in her eyes, he kissed her neck, her ear, everywhere on her face. He kissed away her soft gasps and moans. He was with her every step of the way, from when they started this whole thing to when she felt herself letting go around him. When he finished, he kissed her soundly on the lips and nuzzled into her neck.

When he rolled off of her, they both laid there, catching their breath in the afterglow of something they’d wanted for so long. They were quiet for a long time before either of them had the nerve to speak. Of course, it was Annie, needing to know what everything meant, why it was finally happening.

“Jeff?” She rolled on her side to face him, placing her hand on his forearm. “What now? What…What does this mean?”

He mirrored her position and ran his hand down her side to her hip. “It means that I can’t walk away again. I can’t ignore this,” he gestured between the two.

“What changed your mind?” Her eyes were wide and questioning as they searched his face for all of the answers he was never brave enough to admit.

He sighed and ran a hand through his hair. “Tonight. When you mentioned the internship and D.C. And Abed about L.A. I just…I wasted so much time.”

“What do you mean?”

“It took me finding out that you might be leaving for me to actually realize that I would be miserable without you. Hell, I’ve been pretty miserable regardless. So like you and Abed, I wanted to do something about it,” he gave her a quick smile. “Sorry it took me so long, I’m not so keen on dealing with feelings.”

Annie’s face softened as a smile spread across her face. She caressed his cheek with her hand and he nuzzled against it. “Jeff,” she said breathlessly, “I only ever wanted you to be honest with me.”

He looked back up from her hand and moved in closer. His hand gripped her upper arm and he looked into her eyes deeply, “Then you should know that I _really_ want you to get this internship.” His voice was serious and low, “No one deserves this more than you.”

It felt like all of the air was drained from Annie’s lungs. She was touched that he held so much faith in her. It reminded her of years before when he was right by her side to support her during the Model UN fiasco. Last time they decided to distance themselves from one another, but this time around they were only a breath apart. “But if I get this internship, what does that mean for us?” Her voice sounded so small in her quiet bedroom. “We only just got together now, what’s gonna happen if I leave for the summer?”

“Annie…” Jeff gripped her chin between his thumb and forefinger. “I don’t want to lose you anymore than I already have. I want this thing between us to happen,” he grinned. “If you’ll have me.”

Another smile took over Annie’s face before she forcefully placed a kiss on his lips, “You never lost me.” He held her face to his, when she tried to pull away. She giggled and was finally able to detach herself when Jeff began to laugh at well. She looked at him grinning for a few blissful moments before her expression hardened and her smile began to falter.

“What is it?” Jeff cocked his head to the side and looked at her, eyes searching.

“Since we’re being honest…I should tell you that…” She took a breath and closed her eyes. “That I _did_ get the internship.” She held her breath and when she finally opened her eyes she saw him looking at her like he did when she announced the whole thing back at the bar. He was clearly taken aback for the third time that night.

He swallowed thickly and forced himself to respond to the news. “Why didn’t you say anything? Why did you pretend it was still up in the air?”

“Because…I’m scared. I’m not sure if I’m going to take it…What if this isn’t right for me? What if it’s a disaster?”

“Annie…”

She cut him off, “And when I got to the bar and I was going to tell everyone but you seemed so hurt that I didn’t tell you. And I only didn’t because I didn’t think I would get it! I just couldn’t bring myself to say it because then it would be too real…so I just pretended for a few hours that nothing was about to change.” When she finally finished rambling, she looked close to tears. Her eyes were glossy and blue; like they would flood at any moment.

“Annie.” He ran his hand soothingly up and down her arm. “Look, yeah, I kinda wish you told me because this is _huge_ news. But I’m so happy for you. I meant it when I said you deserved this.” He smiled genuinely. “This is a great opportunity. I’m…so proud of you…even though that’s one of the cheesiest thigs I could have said right now.”

She giggled at his words and then looked at him through her eyelashes. “You really think this is for me?”

“This was made for you, Annie.” After a few more moments of smiling at one another, he decided to ask the question that had been running through his mind since the moment she mentioned the internship. He swallowed, “How long is it? The internship?”

“It’s eight weeks,” she assured.

“And then what happens?”

“I’m not sure…I come back home and just take it one step at a time.”

And then he asked the question he dreaded the most, “When do you leave?” He knew he wouldn’t like the answer from the long pause she took before answering.

“In a week.”

“A week,” he repeated, nodding his head.

“I’m sorry…I can’t believe I have to leave after…this finally happened,” she gestured between them.

Jeff grabbed her hands and held them close, “Annie, don’t apologize. You have nothing to be sorry about. I’m an idiot for not doing anything about this sooner.”

Annie smirked, “Yeah, you are.”

He chuckled at her playful yet truthful response. “Alright, Agent Edison,” he continued as she rolled her eyes, “This just means that I have a week to make up for lost time.” He brought her hands to his mouth for a quick kiss. “And when you come home, we’ll figure it all out.”

She smiled at his gesture, “Are you sure this is what you want?”

“Of course it is. I love you, Annie.” He never thought it would be so simple to admit those words. He never imagined himself telling any woman, aside from his mother, that he loved them. But there he was lying in a bed covered in floral sheets and fluffy pillows with Annie Edison, saying the words as if they were the easiest in the world.

And for the hundredth time that night, Jeff made Annie melt into a puddle of adoration and compassion. “I love you too, Jeff.”

 

* * * * *

 

It was well into the middle of the night, sometime around two o’clock, when they wrapped around one another and kissed until they drifted to sleep. At some point, Abed and Britta stumbled into the apartment, returning from their nightcap at the Dean’s. Britta collapsed onto her bed-couch, she was a ‘coucher’ after all, and Abed made his way over to Annie’s door where he peaked through the door that was left slightly ajar.

As if it was just a normal sight, he nodded his head and called to Britta as he walked towards his room, “We were right.”

“Of course we were! His car is still parked outside, the idiot,” she mumbled from the cushion that was squished against her face.

“They’re going to have an interesting #andamovie, don’t you think?”

“It’s about time that they did…”

**Author's Note:**

> I love the series finale that Dan gave us. I think it was perfect. But this is just something angsty that I came up with so I thought I would try it out. I hope you enjoyed it!
> 
> ***The sections that begin and end in italics are moments that happened before Jeff walked Annie to her door. I hope that was clear! :)


End file.
